Welcome

Rockin' Granola is not your average parenting blog:  we serve up everything from preschool rock concerts and backyard science experiments to handmade holidays and playful parenting - with an organic twist and a strong dose of reality chaser.  Crunchy on the outside with a rock'n'roll center, Rockin' Granola covers natural family living ... for the rest of us.

Who am I? My name is Kara Fleck and I am a wife and mother of four.

In my pre-married life I have done everything from designing flyers for local bands (which sounds much cooler than the small-scale venture it actually was), worked for my university's English department as a student secretary, and I was the assistant manager of a small bookstore.

I married my husband, Christopher, in 2000 and we started a family shortly thereafter.

Before turning to blogging, my creative outlet was self-publishing a hand-drawn zine on life as a new mother as well as editing a compilation zine on extended breastfeeding called Yes, I'm STILL Nursing.  I was a part of the first Mamaphiles: Birth project.  I have been published in the Little Acorn Learning newsletter, Rhythm of the Home, as well as the Simple Living Media blogs: Simple Mom, Simple Homeschool, and Simple Organic.

In 2010, this blog was nominated for a Homeschool Blog Award from The Homeschool Post (and it truly was an honor to be nominated in such good company!)

I am currently the editor of Simple Kids where I work with some really amazing writers as part of Simple Living Media.

Rockin' Granola, however,  is a one-woman show (So be gentle on the management)
 

Rockin' Granola Cast of Characters

Kara, that's me

Christopher, the dad

Jillian, ten years old

Max, five years old

Lucy, three years old
Mia, born August 2011

Occasional Appearances by
Nickey Disco Doggie

What I Write About I write about our (very) real daily life. Since we are homeschooling, this includes a lot of homeschool content.

I also write about our handwork projects and sometimes include music, book, and zine reviews.  (Plus, lets be honest, this little blog is the closest thing to a baby book my kids are going to get!)

The Flecks - November 2011

5 Random Things About Me

• I always have at least one knitting project on the needles, usually four or five
• My Myers-Briggs personality type is INFP
• My favorite shoes are my black Converse
• I love Indy Car racing 
• I am sort of happy my hair is coming in white and not grey in my "old" age, but that doesn't stop me from attacking it with hair dye from time to time

Real Life
Friends, this blog is meant to inspire, not discourage.  I love a good list, but I'm not nearly as pulled together in real life as things come across on my blog at times.  (hint: everything looks nice and neat in the form of a list)

So if you are picturing an idyllic setting where we are all sitting around a table painting with water colors and listening to classical music, and that no one ever speaks sassy or throws a fit (including the parents) -  please keep in mind that there are probably crumbs under the table, dust bunnies in the corners, and someone will knock over the paint jar (at least) once and that not a single day goes by without someone saying "poop." (or worse)

My goal is peace, not perfection.

Rockin' Granola? What is that?
I've been using "Rockin Granola" as my username on email lists, chat groups, and message boards for years.  It was a natural step to name my blog that.  I don't wear tie-dye and my family rebels against tofu, but with our homeschooling, recycling, nature loving life and my bohemian tendencies, I'd call myself a "hippie" ... tho' I'm not sure hippies watch Monday Night Football and eat Froot Loops (bought on sale with double coupons, of course). We've kicked our Froot Loops habit!

While I'm not going to pretend we don't own plastic legos and playmobil, overall we are pretty  naturally and holistically inspired. We may not be following our favorite bands as they tour the country anymore, but we still have some pretty good living room jam sessions.


I like to think of us as a little bit "crunchy" and a little bit rock'n'roll.

Before You Click on Our Ads or Links - Have You Read This?  Full Disclosure

THANK YOU to everyone who visits! If what I have to say is helpful to you or gets you to think about something differently, then I'm so glad. But, if it isn't, there are plenty of other sources out there and I wish you luck on your search to find what you need (so no nasty letter writing or comments, please).

This is my personal webspace and my own thoughts and experiences I'm sharing here and I'm not looking to debate homeschooling, religion, politics, or parenting.  As someone wiser than I once said, "take what you can use, blow away the rest"

Need to Get In Touch?
My email is KaraFleck@gmail.com
Twitter @RockinGranola 
I'm RockinGranola on Ravelry, too

You can also find me at Simple Kids, where I am the editor:
Twitter @SimpleKids
Facebook - Simple Kids

(you read all the way to the end?  Wow!  Thanks!)